Apparatus for applying can ends to can bodies



5. N. TEVANDER v APPARATUS FOR APPLYING CAN ENDS TO CAN BODIES r'ued May 24 1920 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 S. N. TEVANDER APPARATUS FOR APPLYING CAN ENDS TO CAN BODIES 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed may 24 1920 S. N. TEVANDER APPARATUS FOR APPLYING CAN ENDS T0 CAN BODIES Filed may 24 1920 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Dec. 2, 192 5,517,472

s. N. TEVANDER APPARATUS FOR APPLYING CAN ENDS TO CAN BODIES Filed May 24 1920 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 Deco 9 1,517,472

5. N. TEVANDER APPARATUS FOR APPLYING CAN ENDS TO CAN BODIES Filed Hay 24 1920 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Ewe/250x J -M & /W

UITED STATES Patented SWAN N. TEVANDER, O1 MAYWOOD,'-ILI|INOIS, ASSIGNbR '10 AMERICAN CAN" COM PANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION 01 NEW JERSE" APPARATUS FOR .AIPLYING CAN ENDS T CAN BODIES.

Application filed ma 24, 1920. serial no. 388,635.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, SWAN N. TEVANDER, a citizen of the United States, residin in Maywood, in the county of Cook and tate of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Apparatus for Applying Can Ends to Can Bodies, of which the 0 lowing is a specification.

This invention relates in eneral to ap a ratus for applyin can en to can bo ies and while it may ave more particular reference to the applying of the can ends to the bodies after the bodies have been filled it will be readily understood that it has valuable use in other connections.

The invention has for a principal object the provision of new and improved 'mecha-. nism for bringing can bodies into accurate cylindric form for receiving the end closures.

The, invention has for a further object the provision of an apparatus .for dealing with cans which have been more or less-deformed or bent from true cylindric formation in such fashion as to render them capable of receiving a can end in accurate desired relation before being acted upon by the seaming mechanism.

The apparatus shown on the drawing discloses such parts of a machine for closing sanitary cans as are believed necessary to an understanding of the present invention. In

closing a sanitary can a flanged can body receives a flanged can end and the flanges of the two are rolled over into a double seam by suitable seaming mechanism as rolls or the like. Prior to my invention it has been known to bring the end of the body for receiving the can end to accurate shape .by moving it through a tapered throat or plate which, being circular, trues it up just before :it enters into the can end. This ar .rangement works well in service but is, of course, limited in action to cans of sufii ciently nearly cylindric form to enter the throat.

The present invention has for a further object the provision of truing mechanism for truing the cans reliminary'to their insertion in the end c osures which will have a wide range of action and be capable of truing bodies greatly deformed. 1

The invention has for a further object the provision of truing means which will positively hold the can bodies in accurate cylindric form until the covers are positioned upon them, i. e., hold the bodies cylindrical while the ends are being inserted and until they are fixed in location.

Another object is the provision of truing means which may be readily and minutely adansted into accurate positlons.

he invention further contemplates the provision of mechanism of the character described of certain, positive and accurately timed operation, which may be incorporated in the ordinar closing machines without substantial re esi ing of the same and without the addition of complicated additional mechanisms.

Numerous other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent as it is better understood from the following description, which taken in connection with the accompanying drawings discloses a preferred embodiment thereof.

Referring to the drawings:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a closing machine embodying my present invention;

Fig. 2 is a rear v1ew thereof;

Fi 3 is a horizontal section taken immediate y above the can end truing devices;

Fig. 4 is a perspective view (looking from beneath) of the can engaging members and attendant parts; and F Fig. 5 is a detail section on the line 55 of Fig, 6 is a perspective view of a resilient guard to be attached to the plate'18, to prevent incoming cans from catching against the said plate and can-forming devices. In this figure the said guard is shown inverted.

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of that part of the machine comprising the seam ng head and showing some of the neighboring parts.

The apparatus shown on the drawing and for the purpose of illustrating my invention comprises a housing frame 11 carryng on its upper forward face the seaming mechanism generally indicated at 12 (Fig. 1) and immediately therebeneath a table 13 in which is provided a plunger (not shown) for lifting the cans to the seaming mechanism at the time the seaming operation is to be performed. I have not herein illustrated the seaming mechanism in detail, but it is or may be of the character set forth in patent to Rudolphi, No. 1,327,966, granted Jan. 13, 1920. A main shaft 14 is provided within the frame housing and carries cams 15, 16 and 17 for operating respectively-the can lifting mechanism, the knock-out from the seaming rolls and the seaming head itself. Just beneath the seaming head is positioned a throat plate 18 across which the can ends are fed in any usual or preferred manner and in which is provided an opening 19 through which the end of each can body is projected.

Just beneath this plate I provide a pair of. can embracing arms or members 22 and 23, constituting in effect conjointly movable jaws, pivoted respectively on the underside of the plate at 24 and 25. The arm 23 is provided with a relatively thick part 26 adjacent its pivot and a thinner outwardly extending arm part 27 upon which is welded or otherwise secured an arcuate extension 28 adapted to partially embrace the can body in the operation of the apparatus. The arm 28 moves in a guide slot 29 of a guide member 31 fixed on the underside of the plate 18. The other arm 22 has a similar thick pivoted portion 32 recessed at 33 to receive the end of the relatively thinner curved part 34 which is thus disposed in the lane of the curved part 28 of the arm 23.-

his arm is also guided in a guide slot 35 of the guide member 36 secured to the underside of the late.

The arm 23 is provided with a tongue 37 engaging in a recess 38 in the part 32 of the arm 22, this acting to provide a toggle connection between the two so that movement of one produces conjoint opposite movement of the other. A lug 39 carrying a pivot pin 41 extends out at the rear of the arm 22 and this pin is adapted for engagement by a connecting rod 42 with an arm 43 fixed upon a shaft 44 having bearings at 45 and 46 in the frame casing 11. The shaft 44 has fixed to it a cam arm 47 having an end 48 engaged in a cam groove 49 of a cam 51 fast on the shaft 14, already described. The arm 43, shaft 44 and arm 47 constitute a lever which through the connecting rod or link 42 provided for conjoint approach and retreat at predetermined intervals of the can embracing members 22 and 23, the action being so timed that these can engaging levers act just prior to the insertion of the can end into the throat of the plate 18.

The connecting rod 42 preferably has at one end a pair of jaws 52 and 53 pivoted together at 54 to the end of the connecting rod and held in close relation with each other by a spring 55. The jaws 52 and 53 are provided with a circular recess for receiving a pin 56. The spring holding the jaws permits them to separate and the connecting rod to disconnect upon any jamming of any parts. The ends of the jaws are able in the part 26 or 32 and having a stem or post 59 threadedly engaged in an aperture 60 extending through the plate 18. These eccentric pivots 24 and 25 may be rotated to cause the jaws to be adjusted toward and from each other in their clamping action, i. e., adjusted so as to bring the axis of the can clamped between them into accurate position with respect to the seaming mech-. anism. The degree of closing action of the jaws may be adjusted by rotative movement of the rod 42 which is oppositely threaded at its ends as indicated in Fig. 3. Lock nuts 61 on the pivots 24 and 25 and 62 on the rod 42 are provided to hold the parts in accurately locked position. The timing of the cams is such that the jaws remain clamped about the can holding it in true cylindric form until and even after its upper end has received the end closure.

It is thought that the action of the apparatus and many of its attendant advantages will be understood from the foregoing without further description, and it will be apparent that various changes may be made in the form, construction and arrangement of the parts without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention or sacrificing' all of its material advantages, the form hereinbefore described being merely a preferred embodiment thereof.

I claim:

1. In an apparatus for applying can ends to can bodies, conjointly movable members mutually swingable towards and from each other in the same horizontal plane for embracing the can body and bringing it to true circular formation and in position to receive a can end, and means for holding said members from vertical movement.

. 2. In an apparatus for applying can ends to can bodies, a Dair of pivotally mounted curved arms adapted for arrangement upon opposite sides of a can at the end applying station and separately and pivotally mounted and movable towards and from each other, means actuating said arms toward the can and adjacent their pivotal axes to cause said ends to grasp the can and bring it to accurate cylindrical formation, and means for holding said arms from vertical movement.

3. In an apparatus for applying can ends to can bodies, a pair of pivotally mounted curved arms adapted for arrangement upon opposite sides of a can at the end applying station, means actuating said arms toward the can body adjacent their pivotal axes to cause said arms to grasp the can and bring it to accurate cylindrical formation, and" guides engaging the upper and lower sides of the free ends of said arms.

4. In an apparatus for applying can ends to can bodies, the combination of a seaming mechanism, a shaft for operating said; seaming mechanism, pivoted and mutuallv movable can-embracing members for truing the can upon its presentation to the seaming mechanism, means for holding said mem 'bers from vertical movement, a link pivoted to one of said members, and means operable from said shaft for actuating said link, said cam for actuating said members to bring the can-to accurate shape, said members having rearward extensions whlch are mtergeared wlth each other.

6. In an apparatus for applying can ends to can bodies, the combination of a seaming mechanism, a shaft for operating said seaming mechanism, a pair of pivotally mounted toggle-connected can embracing members conjointly movable to embrace. a can and bring it to true cylindrical form, means for holding said members from vertical movement, and common means for actuating said seaming mechanism and said can embracing members, said members having rearwardtoothed extensions inter -geared with each other.

7. 'In an apparatus for applying can ends to can bodies, the combination of a seaming mechanism, means for lifting a can into seaming relation with said seaming mechanism, means for positioning a can end in the pathof the lifting movement of said can, connected arms swingable towards and from each other in a horizontal plane for embracing the can andholding it in true cylindrical form at the time of its engagement with the can end, and guides for holding the operating extremities of said arms from vertical movement relative to said can end positioning means.

8. In an apparatus for applying can ends to can bodies, the combination of an apertured seaming mechanism, a can end support, and swinging arms pivoted to the under side of said support for engaging the cylindric body of the can to bring it to true cylindric form prior to engagement with the end held in said end support.

9. In an apparatus for applying can ends to can bodies, the combination of an apertured can end feed plate, and connected arms swingable towards and from each other and pivoted to the under side of said apertured plate and carried thereby for engaging the ody of a can in position beneath said feed plate.

10. In an apparatus for applying can ends to can bodies, the combination of a can end support, pivoted and swinging means for engaging the body of a can to bring it to true cylindric form, the pivots of said means being adjustable transversely of the axis of the can and the end support.

' 11. In anapparatus for applying can ends to can bodies, the combination of a can end support, and pivoted and swinging means for engaging the body of a can to bring it to true cylindric form, the pivots of said means being adjustable toward and from the axis of-the can.

12. The combination of double seaming mechanism, an apertured throat plate through which the can bodies are projected upward to engage the can end and then to enter the sphere of the double seaming mechanism, conjointly movable members ar ranged under said throat plate and mutually 'swingable towards and from each other in the same horizontal plane for embracing the can body and bringing it to true shape to conform with said cover, and means for actuating said conjointly movable members.

SWAN N. TEVANDER. 

